Dear People of the Way, Devotee, Worshiper, Seeker, Novice, Family member, and Friends,

Greetings and salutations on a beautiful Portland spring day, in which the sunshine and blue skies are just above a cloud layer covering the Portland metro area.

Our focus Scripture this week is Acts 1:15-17, 21-26, in which we are re-introduced to the very first days of the life of the disciples after Jesus' ascension. Again, there is no "church on every corner" in Jerusalem. The early disciples were considered "outsiders" to the Jewish and Roman authorities in those days. They were a young, scrappy, and slightly anxious community of followers of Jesus--the way, the truth, and the life--with no place to meet, save a home here and there. In Jesus' absence, they were making decisions and new processes as they moved forward in life as a clandestine, rag-tag group of disciples and apostles. The first order of the day was to approve a new disciple, as the original 12 were now 11. The 11 were in transition, or what we call "interim" status, using an age old approach of choosing the next person: by casting lots. What is most powerful in this passage for us, as a Community of Pilgrims, is that our forbearers were like us: charged to be people of the Way (Acts 9:2), bringing hope and power of God's beloved community to people for whom the trials of religious and political oppression may have appeared as overwhelming... much like today. In that Spirit, let us invite people to join us as people of the Way as we move forward in life as a new community of faith!

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A word of Thanks after filling 45 boxes of food for families and individuals connected with Human Solutions:

Hello All! Thank you so much for the food boxes for our families! The treats in each of them were well-received and very appreciated! We certainly hope to have you all again, and truly appreciate the support!

Gardens are also good placesto sulk. You pass beds ofspiky voodoo lilies and trip over the roots of a sweet gum tree, in search of medieval plants whose leaves, when they drop off turn into birdsif they fall on land,and colored carp if they plop into water.

Suddenly the archetypal human desire for peace with every other species wells up in you. The lion and the lamb cuddling up. The snake and the snail, kissing.Even the prick of the thistle, queen of the weeds, revives your secret beliefin perpetual spring,your faith that for every hurt there is a leaf to cure it.____

Buen Camino! And bring a friend and a family member to our Fellowship!